Darcey Bussell on Conductors

One of the hard things about dancing -- particularly in classical ballets -- is that the performance doesn't just depend on us, the dancers.  Conductors especially can affect us because they determine the speed of the music, and if they hear it differently from us it can throw our whole performance.

When we have a conductor like Victor Fedotov guesting from the Kirov it's a great luxury because he takes his speeds from the dancers, unlike many conductors over here who don't adjust their tempi at all -- they play the music as they would a concert score.  In Russia dancers seem to wield more power though, so conductors like Fedotov will speed up or slow down the orchestra to suit the dancing.

When we work with him it's wonderful to get so much attention, but it can be unnerving.  At first I couldn't get used to the way he'd virtually stop the orchestra whenever I took a balance, and wait for me to come down before he started up again.  Because I'm so used to having to keep time with the orchestra I kept on balancing longer and longer as he slowed down, and both the music and I nearly ground to a halt.

Since most Opera House conductors don't indulge us in the same way we have to adjust our speeds to them.  It's fine if everyone's rehearsed together but if a new conductor comes in or there hasn't been enough preparation time then the music may be played at an alarmingly different speed from the way we've rehearsed it.  It's a terrible feeling -- you're being forced off the music and you can't do the steps properly.  Dancers often come off the stage in tears because the conductor has spoilt their show.  Being tall, I generally prefer conductors to take speeds slightly slow.  If the music goes too fast I can't always fit in the steps and I'm in danger of tripping over myself.  If it goes too slow I can always save something,  I can always pull a phrase out longer -- except of course when I'm jumping.  I can't actually fly.

Life in Dance by Darcey Bussell. 1999. Pages 66-7.